tugging again

in her thirty-two years of life, bae joohyun has always regarded herself as someone who's got her together.

she's the alpha type of a woman, someone who always plans and loves to take control.

people keep saying how smart and analytic she is. that's the reason she got into stocks and finance because she loves analyzing data and reviewing economic trends.

she has high regard for her intuition, but she never decides without studying the facts first. it's too risky.

it led everyone to brand her as the woman who knows what to say and do in every situation.

but just as good as it sounds, bae joohyun isn't as strong as everyone thinks she is.

at least not all the time.

there are some moments, these very few moments, when something--or someone--messes up with her head, affecting her rationality and reasoning.

in stock trading, they call it black swan--an unpredictable event beyond what is expected, which results in severe consequences.

she usually hates it when something like that occurs, because it takes her off course.

but in this context, her black swan isn't an event. instead, it is a person that goes by the name kang seulgi.

the funny thing is, she doesn't hate her one bit.

---

"oh, by the way, this my wife, kang seulgi. and seulgi, this is the registered investment advisor i was talking about. her name's bae joohyun."

joohyun looks up at her soulmate who seemed petrified at their situation.

couldn't blame her, joohyun thinks. who would have thought the overseas client she was talking to the other day is the wife of the person she's been looking for the past three years?

yes, she got seulgi's name from when they first met. still, she couldn't find the other woman on social media when she searched online, which added to joohyun's frustration.

leaving that coded-comment on the comics (manhwa--she hears yerim's voice) online is a desperate move in hopes of finally meeting her soulmate again.

well, seulgi seems to have understood what it meant and could be wanting to meet her too because she's here now, is she not?

and all that tugging from earlier made joohyun's heart almost jump out of her chest.

"um... hello... i'm... i'm kang seulgi..." she finally manages to speak, offering her right hand for a shake.

joohyun smiles and stands up, taking the other woman's hand into hers and shaking it back. "bae joohyun. it's nice to meet you finally." she looks at eunae. "so you are the boo miss eunae has been talking about nonstop."

seulgi chuckles and scratches her nape as she and eunae settle down across the table.

"i had a very insightful investment talk with miss joohyun," eunae says. "i wish you could hear it too, but she has plans after this and is only waiting for her date to come."

seulgi raises an eyebrow. "d-date?"

"yes, that's 5 pm, right?" eunae looks at joohyun.

joohyun nods. "but something came up just now. my date won't be able to make it."

"awe. that's sad."

"don't worry. it's something urgent," joohyun says.

seulgi leans back on the chair and mouths, 'i'm sorry.'

"well, if that's the case, would you like to join me and boo for dinner?" eunae offers.

joohyun eyes seulgi who's pressing her lips together, giving her that 'please say yes' look.

joohyun smiles. "yes. sure."

---

they were already having desserts when joohyun feels a tug on her finger.

she looks up and sees seulgi enjoying a sundae cone, eyes out the window, left hand under the table.

joohyun looks down and smiles. she tugs back and receives an immediate response. they continued silently with their tug battle, and every second increases joohyun's eagerness to hold seulgi's hand.

but no. she can't. they can't. it's wrong.

joohyun was about to take a scoop of her ice cream when there was a sudden sharp tug. she almost hunched over the table, her spoon hitting her cheek.

she wipes her cheek with a tissue while glaring at her soulmate's direction. seulgi's eyes are still on the window, lips pressed together, obviously hiding a burst of laughter from coming out.

luckily, eunae didn't notice it. "boo, you want to taste this?" she raises a spoon into seulgi's mouth.

seulgi turns to her wife and opens . eunae smiles, and takes another scoop to feed seulgi.

smirking, joohyun tugs her finger hard under the table. this caused seulgi to jerk forward, her wife's spoon hitting her face, the sundae getting smudged all over her nose and lips.

"gosh. i'm sorry, boo!" eunae immediately picks a tissue to wipe seulgi's face.

joohyun covers , trying her best not to laugh. seulgi glares at her.

"you two are so sweet," joohyun teases. "how long have you two been together?"

"ten years, right?" eunae looks at seulgi who nods. "boo was one of the nerdy members of the art club back in highschool. even so, she looks hot to me." she chuckles. "i joined the art club to get closer to her. after one year of trying to get her attention, she finally noticed me."

"highschool? are you like each other's firsts?" joohyun asks.

"she's my first in everything," seulgi comments. "but eunae had been playing with relationships since she was fourteen."

"yah! don't talk about me like that." eunae playfully pushes her wife.

joohyun smiles as she observes the couple across her. if she didn't have this spiritual attachment to seulgi, she'd be happy for the two of them. ten years of togetherness and they are still sweet as ever.

somehow joohyun envies it. it's not like she never had a serious relationship, but all of those ended almost for the same reason. and joohyun thinks it's because of her personality. unfortunately, her exes saw her as someone controlling or someone who doesn't care at all.

she used to think it's always her fault.

but now she knows why those relationships didn't work.

it's because those people weren't her soulmate.

and to be honest, she never felt so connected to anyone than with seulgi, even if today is just their second actual meeting.

but why did the spirits put her into this situation, meeting her soulmate the day after she got married?

are they playing on them?

joohyun wouldn't blame seulgi for falling for eunae. she is the replica of the models from the magazines joohyun used to envy when she was a kid: tall, slim, pretty face, carries herself well, would look good in any attire, not to mention eunae is very kind and respectful.

"did you two had any third party issues before?" joohyun asks, and seulgi gives her a surprised look. "i'm just curious. i mean, it's ten years."

"i think that's part of every relationship," eunhae says. "i won't play saint on this one as i know it was me who had an issue before. but boo here, there's no one except for those female manhwas or game characters she's been fantasizing on since then."

there is something about that statement that made joohyun want to dig more. but she keeps shut. seulgi's sudden serious face tells her it's a painful past.

"but boo had an art professor before who was crushing on her. professor t, right?" eunae looks at her wife. "i was so jealous of that woman because she is close with seulgi. and boo here is being nice and all. i mean, you couldn't blame me. they are only five years apart. and that professor of hers is absolutely gorgeous."

"i've never seen her in that way. we're close because we have the same art style," seulgi explains. "that's why we share a lot of our artwork. i've told you before, she isn't crushing on me. she wants to set me up for a blind date with her friend."

"setting you up for a blind date even though she knows you have a girlfriend?" eunae rolls her eyes. "are you still talking to that professor of yours? does she know you're married now?"

"we don't talk face to face because she's living abroad now, but we still exchange emails and talk about art regularly. a collaboration may happen soon too," seulgi says. "don't worry. she stopped pairing me up with her friend after i told her i'm married."

"good." eunae rolls her eyes again.

"you may have probably heard this from your other friends, but you're lucky to find each other," joohyun says, propping her cheek on her fist. "you two are like meant for each other."

seulgi presses her lips together and gives joohyun a serious look.

"speaking of that, i don't really believe in that soulmate thing because that tugging doesn't work with me and seulgi." eunae reaches for seulgi's hand on the table to play with her ring. "but in my heart, seulgi is my soulmate."

joohyun drops her gaze on the table.

"it doesn't matter to me if soulmates really do exist or not..." eunae rests her chin on seulgi's shoulder. "you're already married to me. i won't let you go that easy, kang."

seulgi just smiles and gives joohyun an awkward look.

joohyun keeps silent, pretending not to feel a tug in her finger while eunae keeps playing with seulgi's ring.